University Governance in the 21st Century

Delighted to see so many engaged faculty members as well as other university community members here

Grateful for opportunity to speak about university governance and UBC in particular

As universities evolve and adapt, so must the way they are governed

Today’s challenging academic environment demands a new way of making decisions.

Change in delivering curriculum, courses and business models and practices presents new opportunities (as well as risks) and call for innovative path forward.

As this requires Shared Governance, dialogues among boards, presidents, senates, and faculties need to take place;

it’s complicated yet it’s a much-needed path to a better state of shared governance and stakeholder engagement.

More and more discussions around the globe are taking place on “Shared Governance”.

governance model for universities rooted in the past – evolved from historic European universities dating back almost 1000 years

governance usually includes a titular chancellor, a board of governors, a vice-chancellor (or president), a senate and distinct faculties that have a measure of independence

most Canadian universities follow this model with some exceptions — e.g., University of Toronto which has a single Governing Council instead of separate Board of Governors and Senate

at UBC, we have a slight variation on this model, to take into account our two separate campuses, UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan

governance embodied in government legislation – through the University Act.

this legislation usually makes no reference to the administration, to stakeholder groups such as faculty associations, student societies, staff unions or alumni associations, or other interested parties such as donors and industry

Board has responsibility for management, administration and control of the property, revenue, business and affairs of the university

Senate responsible for the academic governance of the university

Individual Faculties make rules for the direction and management of the faculty and its affairs and business, also determine courses

Executive provides general supervision and direction of the business and academic work of the University, in accordance with, and to effectively implement, the strategic framework and oversight directions of the Board of Governors and the Senates

That is the structure as it formally exists

There are hiccups of course, but on the whole the governance structure at UBC works.

But it is fair to ask if the governance structure of the past is suited for the complexities of higher education in the 21st century, as James Duderstadt, author of Governing the 21st Century University: A View from the Bridge, notes:

“Today it is appropriate to question whether the key participants in shared governance–the lay governing board, elected faculty governance, and academic administrators–have the expertise, the discipline, the authority, and the accountability necessary to cope with the powerful social, economic, and technological forces driving change in our society and its institutions.”

21st century universities are large, complex institutions

UBC a good example of this – two campuses greatly separated geographically, $2.3 billion budget, thousands of staff, 61 thousand students

Governance is much more complex than laid out in the University Act

Also have to consider faculty members, staff, governments, public, businesses, neighbours, Indigenous peoples and other stakeholders

need buy-in from all these groups if university is to fulfil its goals

governance ever more complex due to increased relationships with constituencies and stakeholders

Internally, governance more complex as well – students expect more representation and involvement, as do faculty and staff – but how to best give them representation and involvement in governance?

For example, students can be full time or part time, international or local, graduate or undergraduate, according to their program, even by whether they live on campus or commute

Faculty can also be full-time or part-time, tenured, tenure-track or adjunct and in many other ways

Who speaks for them? How best to involve them in governance of the university?

In other words, how best to govern a 21st century university with a 20th century governance structure?

These questions only becoming more urgent because of particular trends in higher education

Globalization – students and faculty come from around the world; also universities enter into research and teaching agreements with institutions abroad or establish satellite campuses in other countries

Technology – how will changes in teaching technology affect the need for faculty and classrooms? will need for physical campuses decrease? How will that affect governance?

funding – universities are less dependent on tuition and direct government grants – more on donations, partnerships with private industry etc. — will they demand a larger role in how the institution is governed?

changing role of the university – not just preparing young people for adult life but lifelong learning, research on demand (for governments and for industry), public engagement

don’t have the answers to these questions

universities must continually evaluate the effectiveness of their governance and administration and consult with partners such as yourselves, governments, student and staff unions and others to ensure we are able to fulfill our mission effectively now and in the future